Reptiles with Personality

[VelkynKarma]

Hey friends! Hope this is ok to post in this section.

I'm a first time BP owner. I've had Phantom for about 6 months now and I adore him. I'm also the first person in my family/friends/coworkers circles to own any kind of reptile, which means I'm often fielding questions about how snakes and lizards work. I don't mind that, since I've done my research, and it's fun educating people.

But I think one of the most common questions I get is:

"Wait, so like...does it have a personality or something?"

I always laugh and say, of course he does! He's an animal. Any animal is bound to have some interesting quirks. And I'll explain some of Phantom's. People always seem fascinated and bewildered by this. A snake with a personality! Like he's a cat or a dog or something! How strange!

So in honor of our beloved scaled family members who are definitely not just inanimate objects: what are some of your BP's (or other reptile's) most notable personality quirks?

For Phantom, it's:

1. He really loves climbing. In his enclosure, furniture, on top of my head. He just wants to be tall.
2. But he's not very good climbing, and and falls off stuff a lot. Definitely puts the 'semi' in semi-arboreal! I always need to keep a close eye on him so he doesn't hurt himself.
3. Absolutely fascinated with my keyboard, mouse, and cell phone. He'll come check them out whenever he has a chance, curl up on them, wrap around them.
4. Curious and inquisitive. Always wants to check out the new smells and new things.
5. Will only ever poop or shed in his hides and caves. But then sulks, because there's poop/shed in his hides/caves, and he doesn't want it there.

How about everyone else?

[Bogertophis]

I totally agree- snakes have their own personalities- that's what makes them interesting.

[Lizrd_boy]

My leopard gecko (Lenetta) is very friendly. Not just tolerating handling, but intentionally seeking it out. Whether it's because she likes it or because of the heat from my hands, I don't know, but it's definately not because she wants food because when I try to hand feed her she cmpletely ignores the food and crawls onto my hand lol. She'll also try to climb out of her enclosure when she knows I'm looking, but when she doesn't know I'm there she just goes about her business.

When I was trying to tame another gecko I have, Lea, I would put my hand into her enclosure and let her walk onto it as she wanted to. Lenetta would watch me and try to get out of her tank. Then I would go to handle her and she'd walk away like "You don't like me!"

[Bogertophis]

One of my yellow rat snakes is going on 3 years old (is about 4' long now) & she's truly a hoot. She's always been fairly hyper (NOT a good "beginner snake") & she took a lot of patience to get her used to handling without getting nipped- at least the first year -which is a long time for me, with so much experience. Even now, she thrashes some when I first pick her up, but doesn't bite (only thinks about it, haha) before she settles down.

By remaining patient & by not over-restraining her, she gets quite relaxed in longer handling sessions- & because of her curiosity, she seems quite smart, always watching me (& not in a fearful or food-driven way) whenever I'm near her tank. So in spite of her being hyper-sensitive when it comes to handling, I truly enjoy her personality, but the best part is FEEDING her. I've fed a great many snakes over the years, but never before have I fed one like Mirikel!

She's never been fed live, yet when offered a pre-killed mouse from tongs, she grabs it like lightning, then aggressively rolls all around her cage with it for several minutes- she's quite the entertainer, & a live mouse would NOT stand a chance with her, nor I fear, would my hand if I was ever dumb enough to get in her way to earn a feeding bite.

I should have named her "Crash", for the way she pays no attention to the hides & branches & water bowl she crashes into while rolling- truly I've never seen any other snake do this, not for so long. Sure, they'll grab prey aggressively, wrap it & hold on, but they don't continue to sail around their cages like a whirling dervish. She ought to be bruised & sore after catching her meal this way- maybe that's why she's so feisty for the next one- blaming the mouse??? I don't know, but she's hilarious to feed. She takes no chances that a quick constriction has killed it- so for her huge personality, I love her to bits. She's uniquely goofy, & I find I prefer snakes that are more of a challenge. She's not boring, that's for sure.

[VelkynKarma]

My leopard gecko (Lenetta) is very friendly. Not just tolerating handling, but intentionally seeking it out. Whether it's because she likes it or because of the heat from my hands, I don't know, but it's definately not because she wants food because when I try to hand feed her she cmpletely ignores the food and crawls onto my hand lol. She'll also try to climb out of her enclosure when she knows I'm looking, but when she doesn't know I'm there she just goes about her business.

Awww, she sounds like a sweetie! And people think reptiles can't be cuddly.

I should have named her "Crash", for the way she pays no attention to the hides & branches & water bowl she crashes into while rolling- truly I've never seen any other snake do this, not for so long. Sure, they'll grab prey aggressively, wrap it & hold on, but they don't continue to sail around their cages like a whirling dervish. She ought to be bruised & sore after catching her meal this way- maybe that's why she's so feisty for the next one- blaming the mouse??? I don't know, but she's hilarious to feed. She takes no chances that a quick constriction has killed it- so for her huge personality, I love her to bits. She's uniquely goofy, & I find I prefer snakes that are more of a challenge. She's not boring, that's for sure.

The mental image of this is hilarious! Wrasslin' her dinner even though it's already dead The 'whirling dervish' makes me think of a Pokemon attack or something. Too funny!

[Bogertophis]

...
The mental image of this is hilarious! Wrasslin' her dinner even though it's already dead The 'whirling dervish' makes me think of a Pokemon attack or something. Too funny!

I'm surprised that she hasn't out-grown this behavior by now. She's like a cross between a snake & a dust devil, & I hate to think of her still doing this when she's 6' long & much heavier.

She's not everyone's idea of a pet snake- and there's a lot to be said for the calmer, more cuddly ones, whose personality is more subtle. But they all have personality- that goes for the lizards I've known too (geckoes, a bearded dragon, & others native to the SW desert). Whatever your taste in pets, most reptiles are fairly easy to care for (ie. "less demanding") than dogs & cats, & well-worth knowing, despite being less overtly "social".

When I lived in the desert, I had a leopard gecko for a while, & one day I found a tiny (3") local "night lizard"* that was hanging out on the screen top of the gecko's tank- like, "How do I get some of that 'room service'? Oh Miss?" He had gotten into my house, so I obliged him- set him up in his own place (10 gal. tank) with food, water & hides- happy little souls, night lizards are too tiny to handle but very cute to watch- not overly shy. (*Xantusia vigilis) Really, how can you not love reptiles?